Can Do. Will Do. Well Done~ Guaranteed!

01/31/2017

How to Tell if Your Heat Pump is in Desperate Need of Replacement

So you’ve had your heat pump for a number of years, and you’re relying on it yet again to get you through a cold winter. The system isn’t as on top of things as it used to be, but it’s still good for another season. At least, that what you hope. What happens, though, if your heat pump suddenly dies on you in the middle of the season? You probably don’t want to be left without a heating system during a cold month, so it’s a good idea to be very vigilant for signs that the system is in need of replacement.

Unexplained Bill Spikes

You probably monitor your utility bills from month to month, just as a precaution. If you don’t, it’s a good habit to get into. Doing this is beneficial for monitoring your heat pump health, as well. As a heat pump wears down, over years of use, it will begin to lose its efficiency over time. As the output of the system declines, it will have to operate for longer periods of time in order to affect the same level of climate control. This longer operation causes the heat pump to wear down faster, which further exacerbates the issue. All of this adds up to higher bills from month to month.

Very Frequent Repairs

Even if you’re incredibly careful with heat pump maintenance every year, you’re going to have some sort of problem with the system at some point. Parts wear down, freak accidents happen, and that’s the way it is. However, there’s a very big difference between needing to repair your heat pump every 3-5 years, and needing to have it repaired every few months. Needing repairs that often tends to mean that the heat pump is so worn down that various parts of it are beginning to fail from normal use. At that point, you have what should be a pretty easy choice: you could replace the entire system one part at a time, spending a lot of money in the process, or you could replace the whole thing at once and save yourself some money in the long run.

The System is Really Old

Obviously, most of the time the problems that lead to heat pump replacement are going to stem from the age of the system, instead of some catastrophic meltdown. Heat pumps typically last around 15 years, give or take 5 years in either direction. Once your heat pump passes a decade of age, it’s a good idea to talk to a professional about when a good time would be to install a new one. That doesn’t mean that you can’t make a heat pump last longer than that, but it does mean that it’s generally going to cost an impractical amount of money to upkeep a system that is 15+ years of age.